China influencing Sri Lankan media through aggressive diplomatic push on social media

China is trying to influence the Sri Lankan media through an aggressive diplomatic push on social media.

In a new report, titled ‘Beijing’s Global Media Influence: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience’, Freedom House said that the Chinese political party-state’s media influence efforts intensified in Sri Lanka during the period 2019-21.

Among the report’s key findings are increased influence efforts amid political change. The Chinese party-state’s media influence efforts intensified during the coverage period of 2019-21.

Pro-Beijing influencers have increased their activities in the social media space–particularly their outreach to younger Sri Lankans–and new agreements with elites, including in the think tank space, have shaped conversations in the media.

The return of the Rajapaksa family to power in 2020 and protests ousting them in 2022 increased restrictions on press freedom and attacks on journalists.

High-level ties between the Sri Lankan and Chinese governments have led to political and business leaders parroting Chinese propaganda points, in both domestic and international forums, including adopting the Chinese governance model and the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

State-owned papers and some elite-run cultural organizations and think tanks have been consistent vessels for Chinese state content and narratives.

Moreover, Chinese diplomats have adopted “wolf-warrior” tactics, regularly pushing back against criticism on social media platforms. Chinese diplomatic accounts in Sri Lanka have also benefited from amplification by fake accounts.

Agencies